An ode to The Baxter by Isaac van der Merwe

The Baxter Theatre audience was mesmerised by the sounds of University of Cape Town (UCT) student Isaac van der Merwe on 17 July. This, as the talented young pianist delivered a stellar performance in support of the iconic venue’s fundraising efforts.

After first taking up percussion as a youngster, van der Merwe decided at the age of 11 to learn the piano because he “wanted to diversify and learn something with pitched sounds”. He’s also got experience in playing the cello. “I think I was an indifferent student at the three instruments when I started. I gradually came by my passion and the realisation that I find this meaningful, and [it] interacts with my humanity in so many ways. The piano is what I find I connect with best,” he said.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will support The Baxter Theatre’s ongoing artistic and educational mission – a mission he believes gives classical music greater meaning and purpose.

“An excellent piece of classical music doesn’t have any neutral space.”

“There are many reasons to love classical music – the history, the legacy, the complexity, the depth, the challenge, the spirituality, the narrative structure, the natural beauty, the indomitable nobility – but there's another, very simple reason, so essential to classical music I tend to forget it is there. I love classical music because it is interesting – in a piece of classical music, there is always something going on.”

“An excellent piece of classical music doesn’t have any neutral space. If there are silences, or moments of stasis, they are loadbearing. Insofar as it is possible to create the impression that every element is necessary in an abstract work of art, every element is – through the interweaving of musical thought – made necessary, such that it seems as if the piece could only have come into existence at once, in its totality, or not at all.”

He added: “Something I enjoy about classical music is that it is quite humbling; you’re never in control. You practise being able to be the best you can to create the music and carry the audience along. I hope people heard and felt the magic. I hope the audience loved the music.”

The recital was inspired by a suggestion from a former board member [of The Baxter] Christelle Olivier. “I thought it was a fantastic idea because The Baxter is an important institution to us South African College of Music (SACM) students. It is important to us to have a venue where we can play our concerts,” van der Merwe noted. “It gives us an opportunity as well to simulate the concert experience and that is an invaluable part of learning; practicing performance is its own skill to be honed and The Baxter is generous in letting us use the facility to hone that skill.”

Better version

van der Merwe is an honours student in music performance under the supervision of Professor François du Toit. He has high praise for both Professor Du Toit and the SACM: “Professor Du Toit is an incredible man. He doesn’t just care about the music, but the whole package of me, as a person. He is somebody I can talk to about anything. He has really done his best to gently guide me towards a better version of myself. He’s a very wise guy. I’m doing my honours at UCT simply so I can have more lessons with him.”

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